Nightclub owner and sister were arrested in the Dominican Republic after a roof collapse killed 236 people

Antonio Espaillat, the proprietor of Santo Domingo’s famous Jet Set nightclub, and his sister Maribel were arrested on June 12 in the tragic aftermath of the April collapse. They have 48 hours until authorities can formally charge them.

The siblings were accused of “immense irresponsibility and negligence” by the Attorney General’s Office of the Dominican Republic for their failure “to physically intervene to prevent the club’s roof from collapsing, as it ultimately did, causing 236 deaths and more than 180 injuries.”

Rubby Pérez, a merengue icon who was playing for roughly 515 people that evening, was one of the 236 victims. The tragedy also claimed the lives of Montecristi governor Nelsy Cruz, sister of Major League Baseball great Nelson Cruz, and Miami baseball legends Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco.

Antonio promised collaboration in his April 23 TV interview, saying, “I’m going to face everything.” I will not be leaving. “I want to say I’m sorry to the families of the victims,” he added. I apologize deeply. I am utterly ruined. “There are no words to express the pain this event has caused,” he said, describing the weight of the incident.

The 50th anniversary of Jet Set had been commemorated. Although Antonio recognized that the roof “had routine water filtration issues for years, stemming from its air conditioning units,” he shared on Telesistema’s El Dia that “there was no warning” the roof was unstable.

In a statement on X, President Luis Abinader said, “We greatly regret the tragedy that transpired at the Jet Set nightclub. We are praying for the impacted families.

Given that the twins hail from a well-known entertainment conglomerate, prosecutors claim the Espaillats attempted to intimidate or control staff members. The actual cause is still being looked into.